Improvement in rotary steam-engines



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1W. gli Ow DANIEL cURnin, or Sr.` CHARLES, MISSOURI.

Letters Patent No. 83,7 66, dated November 3, 1868..

IMPROVEMENT IN RQTARY STEAM-ENGINES.

The Schedule referred to ithese Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAnInn Cunnrn, of St. Charles, in the county of St. Charles, `and State of Missouri, have made certain new and us'eil Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and clear description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of this invention is to produce a rotary engine with continuous action, by the employment of two cylinders, thereby entirely avoiding any dead-point.

The combination of two cylinders, either rotary or reciprocating, is not a new feature in steam-engines for producing this result, neither are the cylinders of the present invention essentially new inand of then1' selves; but the combination ofthe cylinders herein-- after described presents a new and novel feature, and in operation produces a much y better result than any heretofore produced. n

This invention furthermore relates to certain new and useful detailsoi construction, as will be hereinafter more `fully explained.

To enablethose skilled in the-art. to make and use my improved engine, I will proceed `to describe its construction and operation. v

Figure l, ofthe drawings, is a transverse sectional elevation'of the improved engine.

Figure2 is a'longitudinal-sectional elevation of one cylinder.

Figure 3 is a sectional velevation oi' 'one cylinder, showing the method of packing the sides. y

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of one cylinder, exhibiting the steam and exhaust-ports, the method of packing the periphery of the piston, and the eccentricity of the same.

In this engine, two cylinders, A A', are employed, the external portions of which may be of any convenient size or form, and the internal portions 'of which will be bored out in cylindrical cavities, a, in which the pistons B B' will revolve.

The two rotary pistons B B' are secured to a common shaft, C, which passes through stufng-boxes in the sides of the cylinders, in the usual manner.

' Each of the cylinders is provided with a sliding head, D or D, which it closely down to the pistons; and as these pistons are iiXed'to the shaft() eccentrically, and with their `longer radii diametrically opposite, it is evident thatone of the heads will be up when the other is down, as is clearly shown in fig. l. y,

In order to make the motion and positions of these heads conform to the motion and positions of the pistons, each of them is attached to a sliding rod, d or cl, and these rods are coupled, by means ofthe connectingrods d2 23, with the working-beamD In `this manner the motions and positions of the pistons and sliding headsl are made to harmonize throughout the entire length of each and every stroke or revolution.

A steam-chest, E, having a longitudinal partition, e, is placed on top of the two cylinders A A. The partition e subdivides the steam-chest into'two compartments, e e2, and these compaitments are connected withthe cylinder-chambers by means of the ports e e,

the arrangement being such that each of the said compartments is connected, by means of its ports, with both oi' lthe cylinders.

No valves are used in connection with the ports e3 6*,

but the steam is allowed to enter, or be excluded from either chamber, c by simply changing the stopcock connections with the steam or exhaust-pipes, (not shown.)

From this description, it is evident the steam may be admitted to either side ofthe cylinder at pleasure, and the engine may be reversedyby simply changing pressure of steam from one of the chambers, el e2to the other. l

Forward and backward with this engine, are only relativefterms, as the engine will work in one direction equally as well as in the other.

The direct pressure of steam being admitted to one yor the other ofthe chambers c ci, the exhaust will be allowed to pass through the other.

:By/arranging the two pistons B B', on the `shaft C, as hereinbei'ore described, it is evident that one or the other of them will all the time be exposed to the minimnm pressure of the steam, and consequently the motion will be uniform. I

The pistons B B' are perfectly cylindrical in form, 'with the exception of that portion included between the points a; a, as is shown in iig. 4; and in that portion oi' them their periphery is curtailed so as to allow it to come in contact with the side of the cylinder the entire distance between the said points x af.

The length of the line x sv' is suiicient to allow the vrequired amount of `lap to prevent steam blowing through the engine. Thus, it will be seen, that if the piston be revolving in the direction of the arrow b, the

y line w x will cover the port e3, until .the port e* is completely covered, and the steam is thereby cut off.

A packing, F, is inserted into the wide side of the piston,"as is shown in iig. 4, and a spring, b2, at the bottom of the packing, throws it out in such a manner as to keep it in contact with the side of the cylinder, and in this manner a perfect packing' between the parts is maintained.

The sidesof the pistons are packed by means of the:

cylindrical pieces G, which are tted into the ends of the cylinders, and ground up to the pistons. The packings G are to be set up to the pistons by means of the set-screws g.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrangement of the steam-chest E with the chambers e e2 and the cylinders A A', as herein set forth.

2. The arrangement of the cylinders A A', pistonwheels B B', with their periphery curtailed on one side, as shown at xx', together with the sliding heads D D, rods d d, links d2 d3, andv beam D2, all constructed as herein shown and described.

DANIEL GU'RRIE. Witnesses:

M. RANDOLPH, GEO. WzlHnnnEn'r. 

